CBS This Morning Healthwatch

Does your shapewear pose a heath risk?

Your great-grandmother
might have used a corset to keep her figure under control and your grandmother
probably turned to a girdle, but now, modern-day shapewear, like Spanx, are worn by
millions of women around the world.

“Just like with girdles and corsets we saw a lot of rib
compression and lung problems back in the day, well shapewear is the new girdle,
so now we’re actually starting to see side effects from that,” said Phillips. “In
my practice, I’ve seen a bunch of nerve compression – that’s tingling and
numbness going down the outer thigh or in the groin.”

She said there have also been reports of abdominal pain, abdominal
distention, digestive problems and even skin problems.

Phillips said that with men who wear shapewear, there are
other concerns.

“With men who wear the shorts, which are compressing, we
worry about decreased sperm count or sperm production,” she said.

Also, she said that one of the pieces in particular, called thigh
shapers, which are the shorts that hold the lower part of your body in, can
have "very serious” side effects.

“One of the side effects is very serious, in that it can
increase the risk of blot clots. Unlike the compression stockings that start at
the bottom of the body and come up, these shorts push the blood down,” she
said.